Forza Horizon 6 has been an Xbox Series X|S and PC exclusive since it launched in May 2026, but Playground Games has now officially confirmed that PlayStation 5 players won't have to wait until next year. Buried at the end of the developer's Series 5 blog post published on September 7, the team addressed PS5 owners directly: "If you're planning your trip to Discover Japan on PlayStation 5, stay tuned! Forza Horizon 6 will be releasing on PS5 later this year."
That's not a date. But it is a firm commitment that the PS5 version lands in 2026, which clears up months of uncertainty for players who weren't sure whether they'd be waiting until 2027.
From Xbox exclusive to multiplatform
When Forza Horizon 6 was first announced in 2025, Playground Games made clear the game would launch on Xbox and PC first, with a PS5 version to follow. The decision drew some frustration from the PlayStation community, especially given how long the Forza Horizon series had stayed off Sony's platform.
Here's the thing: the multiplatform intent was always there. Xbox head Craig Duncan spoke publicly about wanting more consistency in how Xbox titles reach different platforms, acknowledging that the rollout hasn't always been predictable. Forza Horizon 6 became a specific example of that inconsistency in action.
With the September 7 confirmation, at least the timeline question is settled. PS5 players can now wishlist the game directly through the PlayStation Store while they wait for a specific date.
Series 5 is already live on Xbox and PC
While PS5 players wait, the Xbox and PC version just received its Series 5 update, and there's a decent amount of new content to work through.
The headliner is Drift Attack, a permanent Shared World feature set at Shimanoyama Circuit. Instead of chasing the fastest lap, players compete for the highest drift score within a single lap. It's a different kind of pressure, and the fact that it's permanent rather than a limited-time event means it'll stick around for PS5 players to experience at launch too.
Series 5 also adds the 1990 Jaguar XJ-S Forza Edition as an unlockable tied to Drift Attack, alongside new paint options for the 2025 McLaren W1.
Additional content rolls out from September 10 onward:
- 10 Festival Playlist reward cars
- 4 Car Pass vehicles dropping between September 10 and October 1
- The limited-time British Automotive series
- Horizon Play race-length adjustments
- Accessibility, visual, and general bug fixes
The British Automotive series adds 3 cars through the Festival Playlist: the 2025 Bentley Continental GT Speed, 2019 Ginetta G40 Junior, and 2006 Vauxhall Astra VXR. None of these are cars you'd typically expect to headline a Forza update, which makes the Ginetta and Vauxhall additions genuinely interesting picks for players who appreciate variety over pure prestige.
What PS5 players should expect at launch
The PS5 version of Forza Horizon 6 will arrive after several months of live updates have already shaped the game. By the time it launches, Series 5 content will be well underway, and the Drift Attack feature will already be a permanent part of the game. PS5 players won't be walking into a launch-day build.
That's actually a reasonable position to be in. The game will have had patches, balance tweaks, and content additions baked in before the PS5 version ships. For anyone who has been holding off specifically for the PlayStation version, it's worth checking out the Forza Horizon 6 Car Pass guide to see which vehicles will already be available by the time the PS5 release hits.
There's also some speculation that Tokyo Game Show 2026, which runs later this month, could be where Playground Games drops the actual PS5 release date. The game was part of TGS last year, and the Japan setting of Forza Horizon 6 makes it a natural fit for the event. Nothing has been confirmed on that front, so treat it as a possibility rather than a plan.
For a full breakdown of everything coming to the game, including the Japan map, Car Meets, cover cars, and edition details, the Forza Horizon 6 guides collection has everything you need to get up to speed before the PS5 launch arrives.
